| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 9 in the 1954 Formula One season | ||
 Reims-Gueux layout | ||
| Date | July 4, 1954 | |
| Official name | XLI Grand Prix de l'ACF | |
| Location | Reims-Gueux, Reims, France | |
| Course | Temporary road course 8.302 km (5.159 mi) | |
| Distance | 61 laps, 506.422 km (314.676 mi) | |
| Weather | Overcast, wet | |
| Pole position | ||
| Driver |  Juan Manuel Fangio
|
Mercedes |
| Time | 2:29.4 | |
| Fastest lap | ||
| Driver |  Hans Herrmann
|
Mercedes |
| Time | 2:32.9 on lap 3 | |
| Podium | ||
| First | Juan Manuel Fangio
|
Mercedes |
| Second | Karl Kling
|
Mercedes |
| Third |  Robert Manzon
|
Ferrari |
The 1954 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 4, 1954, the same date of 1954 Football (Soccer) World Cup Final. It was the fourth round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.
Race report[]
The long-awaited Mercedes W196 with its straight-8 fuel-injection engine made its debut with Fangio transferring from Maserati to join an otherwise all-German line-up of Hans Herrmann, Karl Kling and pre-war driver Herrmann Lang. It was a dominant return with Fangio recording a practice lap of 124.31 mph. He and Kling led away and continued to race side by side around the Rheims track. The Ferrari drivers simply couldn't cope with the pace. Ascari (driving a Maserati as the Lancia section of Ferrari was not yet ready for racing) lasted only 1 lap, Gonzalez retired after 12. Mike Hawthorn's car blew up spectacularly. Hans Herrmann set fastest lap before retiring, but Fangio and Kling continued their duel until the last lap when team orders were put in force and Fangio led Kling over the line by a mere 0.1 seconds-half a car length. Only six cars finished the gruelling race.
Classification[]
| Pos | No | Nat | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 |
|
Juan Manuel Fangio | Mercedes | 61 | 2:42:47.9 | 1 | 8 |
| 2 | 20 |
|
Karl Kling | Mercedes | 61 | + 0.1 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 34 |
|
Robert Manzon | Ferrari | 60 | + 1 Lap | 12 | 4 |
| 4 | 46 | 
|
Prince Bira | Maserati | 60 | + 1 Lap | 6 | 3 |
| 5 | 14 | 
|
Luigi Villoresi | Maserati | 58 | + 3 Laps | 14 | 2 |
| 6 | 24 |
|
Jean Behra | Gordini | 56 | + 5 Laps | 17 | |
| Ret | 28 | 
|
Paul Frère | Gordini | 50 | Axle | 19 | |
| Ret | 4 |
|
Maurice Trintignant | Ferrari | 36 | Engine | 9 | |
| Ret | 36 |
|
Louis Rosier | Ferrari | 27 | Engine | 13 | |
| Ret | 12 |
|
Onofre Marimón | Maserati | 27 | Gearbox | 5 | |
| Ret | 16 |
|
Roberto Mieres | Maserati | 24 | Engine | 11 | |
| Ret | 42 | 
|
Ken Wharton | Maserati | 19 | Transmission | 16 | |
| Ret | 48 | 
|
Harry Schell | Maserati | 19 | Fuel Pump | 21 | |
| Ret | 22 |
|
Hans Herrmann | Mercedes | 16 | Engine | 7 | 1 |
| Ret | 44 |
|
Roy Salvadori | Maserati | 15 | Half Shaft | 10 | |
| Ret | 2 |
|
José Froilán González | Ferrari | 13 | Engine | 4 | |
| Ret | 32 |
|
Lance Macklin | HWM-Alta | 10 | Engine | 15 | |
| Ret | 30 |
|
Georges Berger | Gordini | 9 | Engine | 20 | |
| Ret | 6 |
|
Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | 9 | Engine | 8 | |
| Ret | 26 |
|
Jacques Pollet | Gordini | 8 | Engine | 18 | |
| Ret | 10 |
|
Alberto Ascari | Maserati | 1 | Transmission | 3 | |
| DNS | 40 |
|
Sergio Mantovani | Maserati | Did Not Start |
Notes[]
- F1 Debut: Karl Kling, Mercedes and Continental tyre.
- Debut win for Mercedes and Continental in Formula One.
Drivers' Championship standings after the race[]
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Manuel Fangio
|
25 |
| 2 | Maurice Trintignant
|
9 |
| 3 | Bill Vukovich
|
8 |
| 4 | José Froilán González
|
6.5 |
| 5 | Nino Farina
|
6 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included. Only the best 5 results counted towards the Championship.
| Previous race: 1954 Belgian Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 1954 season |
Next race: 1954 British Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1953 French Grand Prix |
French Grand Prix | Next race: 1956 French Grand Prix |
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This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at 1954 French Grand Prix. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Autopedia, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |